Palladium Books® Weekly Update – June 1, 2018

By Kevin Siembieda

One game system – every genre – countless worlds – endless adventure

I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Memorial Day Weekend. We did and now we are pounding away on the books you want.

Anime North

Chuck Walton and I spent part of last week and the Memorial Day long weekend in Toronto, Canada, where we were guests at Anime North. There we met up with our friends Todd Spencley, Apollo Okamura (artist), Greg Diaczyk (writer) and his family (wife Jennifer, his boys, Caleb, Josh, and Noah, and Harry, his father), Braden Campbell (writer) and his family (Holly and Annachie), as well as a number of Palladium fans and show runners. As usual there were thousands upon thousands of amazing cosplay costumes, and waaaaay too many cool things to see and do. One highlight was Todd treating us to the movies where we saw and enjoyed Solo, A Star Wars Story. Another was Saturday night dinner with Todd, Apollo, Greg and Jennifer. It was nice to actually have time to spend with friends old and new. It was also a treat to finally meet Holly Campbell, in person, a very nice lady, and just getting to spend time with these nice people and the many wonderful fans from across Canada, as well as a few fellow Americans. Spoke with some potential new artists, too.

I had intended to run a couple of Beyond the Supernatural™ (BTS) games and a Palladium Fantasy game, but the ambient noise in the gaming hall was so loud (hey, Anime North gets something like 35,000+ people!), I did not think I could hear well enough to run a quality game. The next time we attend Anime North we may try to acquire a quiet space to run games as well as to do panel talks like How to Design Creatures, World Building and The Art of Role-Playing. Not sure if we’ll be back in 2019 or wait a year and return in 2020. Probably the latter, especially since we have so many games and sourcebooks on the drawing board.

StrategiCon™ GAMEX 2018

The same Memorial Day weekend, Game Master Cameron Cleveland and his crew were running 8 Rifts® RPG events and 2 Robotech® RPG Tactics™ games at StrategiCon in Los Angeles, California. From what we understand, most of those games went great, though it sounds like there was some confusion about RRT events.

Please Note: Just because Palladium Books no longer has the Robotech®/RRT license does not mean gamers who enjoy these games (and others) cannot run them at conventions. It’s just like people who run early editions of D&D or Shadowrun, or Traveller, and so on. That’s the cool thing about games, they do not have an expiration date. They can be played by anyone who owns a copy of it from now till eternity. We always encourage people to play and enjoy our games, and to share their love of the games with others. There is nothing wrong with that, so keep on gaming and have fun. FYI: It has been a long-standing tradition at Palladium Books to plug and describe gaming events that utilize any of our game worlds in our Weekly Updates, provided you give us enough notice (4-8 weeks in advance). We are happy to encourage fun and imagination with the Palladium Megaverse whenever we can. Our thanks to Cameron and his crew of Game Masters for running games at StrategiCon. We understand they have a reputation for quality and fun.

Speaking of which, we know there are a number of Palladium games being run at Origins, coming up fast. And of course, Gen Con.

Ideas for book titles are flowing

The four and a half hour ride up to Anime North and back again, gave Chuck and me time to spitball plenty of ideas and plans for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™ and Beyond the Supernatural™. The ideas were flying fast and furious. Subjects included various monsters, magic, super beings, new world settings and environments, ley lines, Rifts and Ley Line Walkers, among other things. Chuck has been sketching away ever since we got back and I’ve been jotting down notes and ideas in between working on the Rifts® Bestiary™, Volume One and Volume Two. I have also been in communication with several freelance artists and writers about projects they are writing and/or contributing to.

Rifts® Bestiary Vol. One and Vol. Two

Chuck has been working on new monster concept drawings, like the one depicted here, all week. And they are looking great. Likewise, I’ve been penning notes and descriptions about some of his beasties as he reveals them to me, as well as working on writing and the coordination of several projects. We have also received some creature stats and ideas from a few other freelancer authors. As noted in the past, we are working on both volumes simultaneously. Very excited about these two books as they develop into something truly special. Below is just one of Charles Walton’s concept sketches that has been approved.

What are the Rifts® Bestiary of North America™, Volumes One and Two?

We are collecting the hundreds of monsters and beasts of Rifts Earth into easy to use reference books, similar to what we did with D-Bees of North America. Only there are so many wondrous and fierce creatures we cannot squeeze them into one book – plus we are adding a bunch of new creatures to add more fun and menace to your Rifts® games. Some will be a nuisance, others pets and companions, some are suitable M.D.C. riding animals, and some are slobbering beasts.

The first two Rifts® Bestiary™ sourcebooks are being created simultaneously, right now! Between them, these two volumes compile all the beasts of Rifts North America (unintelligent monsters, predators, notable animals and intelligent beings that are monstrous or animal-like in appearance or behavior) from all current World Books and Sourcebooks. In addition to a growing number of brand new critters and monsters by Kevin Siembieda, Chuck Walton, Carl Gleba, Greg Diaczyk and others! All adding new life to the savage wilderness of Rifts North America (US, Canada, Mexico). Presented in alphabetical order, with maps showing their range and location, in two big books.

Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks. Predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.

Updated descriptions and information where applicable.

Updated and uniform stat blocks.

A good number of brand new creatures are being added too.

A map for every creature showing where it is found.

Fully illustrated, much of the art by Charles Walton II, along with Siembieda and many others.

The Rifter®

Wayne Smith is working on selecting material for The Rifter® #80 and #81, with an eye open for additional articles and adventures for the issues that will quickly follow as we get caught up. Some of the upcoming issues of The Rifter® will include articles and adventure source material by Greg Diaczyk, Julius Rosenstein, Mark Oberle and me, Kevin Siembieda.

Writers and Gamers Note: Palladium has several issues of The Rifter® to get caught up with so the next two months are an excellent time to submit gaming articles, adventures, monsters, new characters/O.C.C.s and other source material for possible publication in The Rifter®. Artwork too! Please send electronic files and the Unsolicited Manuscript Form to: riftersub{at}palladiumbooks.com

Of course, all such submissions are created entirely on speculation and there is no promise we will publish your submission in The Rifter®, but this is a great time to be seen. And remember, many writers and artists who started out in The Rifter® went on to work on official sourcebooks. This is a great way to share your ideas and adventures with other gamers.

Splicers®: I am Legion, Adventure Sourcebook

Wayne is also working on putting together the Splicers® I am Legion, Adventure Sourcebook, to be available as a PDF book on DriveThruRPG.com and maybe even as a print on demand title.

New on DriveThruRPG.com – Library of Bletherad™ for the Palladium Fantasy RPG®
and The Rifter® #76 – available now

New and available now: Library of Bletherad™, an epic Palladium Fantasy sourcebook containing 21 Rune Weapons, 50+ new spells, Shadowcasting™ Magic, Fulmination Magic, ancient ruins, forgotten history, hidden secrets, the Monks of Bletherad™, The Zealotry and more! The Rifter® #76 offers Elemental Primorda™, suitable for use in Rifts®, Phase World® and the Fantasy RPG, the Rifts® Pecos Badlands town of Gohjjunk™, Doc Feral™ and some Mutants for Heroes Unlimited™, a Ninjas & Superspies™ adventure, a Savage Rifts® preview, and Splicers®: I am Legion™: Part 5.

The Rifter® #1-76. Each issue is a wealth of source material and ideas for several game lines, but most material can be easily adapted to ANY Palladium game world. Each issue a gem.

Splicers® RPG is like Iron Man meets Game of Thrones with elements of Terminator – except this army of Iron Men are clad in living body armor and wield living, organic weapons and devices. Created in 2004 by writer and game designer Carmen Bellaire, Splicers® was nominated for an Inquest Gamer Magazine Fan Awards Game of the Year, and has since developed a rabid fan base. Science fiction and horror where humans are forced to use genetically engineered, living weapons and organic war machines to battle an insane Artificial Intelligence and her robot legions. Unlike anything you have ever played before!

Palladium Fantasy RPG® first edition rule book and sourcebooks. 2nd edition sourcebooks to come. Not your father’s fantasy RPG, this is a unique world of magic, monsters and heroes. Many nonhuman player characters and 50,000 years of history.

Dead Reign® (Zombie Apocalypse) and sourcebooks. The dead have risen. It is the battle for survival in the zombie apocalypse, but this setting is much more than your typical zombie game. Play ordinary people or special characters better equipped to survive and hunt zombies. Many unusual types of zombies.

Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG. Supernatural horror in the modern world. Play ordinary people, psychics or paranormal investigators.

After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Planet of the Apes meets the X-Men! Animal creations, powers and more. Create any type of intelligent mutant animal you can imagine as friend or foe.

Sale on all Star Wars toys, as Alex and I continue to add Star Wars toys and a growing number of all kinds of collectibles – and we’ll be adding more Palladium Books original art and items to the store, so keep an eye out for them.

This includes one-of-a-kind original artwork, prints, Rifts® and Robotech® artwork by Kevin Long, me and others. There is also a range of limited editions, rare book titles and limited edition hardcovers, toys and more that are all being added to my online store over the next several weeks, so keep an eye out. Alex and I will keep adding items as our busy schedules allow, but we have a lot of fun collectibles available now and coming soon. Items include original art, out of print titles, redlined proofreader photocopies signed by me and the staff, signed manuscripts with editors’ corrections, some original art, hardcover books (including Rifts® Lemuria, Northern Gun™ One, Northern Gun™ Two, Megaverse® in Flames™, Beyond the Supernatural™ Gold, Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Gold and Rifts® Ultimate Gold) and other items available. There are also hundreds of toys and action figures, all from my personal archives and collection. Take a look every weekend for new items added.

Closing Thoughts

We are in creative overdrive as we work away on several new titles, issues of The Rifter®, and a few Raw Preview Editions and PDF only products for summer release. In the meanwhile, snag PDF editions of Library of Bletherad and The Rifter® #76. More to come next week.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Game Designer, Artist, Gamer

Four New T-shirts – Available now

We have four new T-shirts that will make a nice addition to your wardrobe (and hint at some things go come).

New Rifts® Take Aim™ T-shirt is powerful and dynamic. It features a CS soldier firing his energy pistol. Is he friend or foe? You decide. It fits the current Rifts® story arc with the Minion War™ and most Rifts® and Coalition States themes. Art by comic book artist Freddie Williams II. Enjoy.

New Game Master T-shirt features the dynamic artwork of Kevin Long’s original Villains Unlimited cover. Why this art? A) Because G.M.s unleash the villains and challenges that await their players. B) Heroes Unlimited™ needs some loving. And C), because it is a dynamic piece of art that screams, “get ready for adventure.”

Heroes Unlimited™ T-shirt! You have been asking to see more for Heroes Unlimited™, we heard you and offer this striking T-shirt as just the beginning of more support for Heroes Unlimited™. It was certainly a hit at the Palladium Open House.

2018 Palladium Books® Open House T-shirt is fun and the favorite of many people. It features art by Ramon K. Perez. You did not have to be at the Open House in person to get this fun T-shirt. If you were there in spirit or just like the design, snap it up. Limited to 120 shirts. Available only while supplies last.

All T-shirts are high quality, pre-shrunk, 100% cotton Gildan T-shirts and look great. I love all four. Wore the POH, G.M. and Heroes Unlimited T-shirts during the event and I’m wearing the Rifts® shirt for inspiration as I write this.

Available in most sizes, Medium to 5XL, as usual.

$18.95 each for Medium to XL, $20.95 for XXL, and up for larger sizes.

Back in Stock: Rifts® Dimension Book™ One: Wormwood™

Wormwood is a mysterious living planet of unknown origin and purpose. It is presumed to be some sort of colony world and supports human life, but under the strangest conditions. It might be an idyllic environment if not for the corrupting “infections” that are the Unholy and his minions – demonic and monstrous creatures who battle for domination of the planet and its inhabitants. So it is that humans and monsters, the good and the wicked are at constant war with one another. Epic adventure, horror and the supernatural. There is nothing quite like Wormwood in the Megaverse®.

The Good and the human are represented by the Cathedral. Its Champions of Light include warrior priests, monks, Wormspeakers (seers), Symbiotic Warriors, Knights of the Temple, Holy Terrors and the most powerful and heroic of them all, the legendary Apok.

The Wicked and the demonic are represented by the Unholy, Dark Priests and the demonic Dark Minions.

Home of Crawling Towers, Holy Terrors, Wormspeakers, Apoks the Avengers, and hordes of demonic monsters.

Back in Stock: Weapons and Assassins™

The weapons and secrets of real world, ancient assassins. Includes guilds and societies of assassins like the Order of the Assassins, Ninja and Thugs of India, as well as details about their weapons, tools, poisons, clothing, armor, methods and more. A fan favorite written by Erick Wujcik. Back in stock.

New! World Book 36: Rifts® Sovietski™ – Now Shipping!

Now shipping! And jam-packed with a wide array of source material. New cyborgs, new O.C.C.s, new skills, new D-Bees, new cyborgs and bionics, new weapons, new vehicles, underground bunker tables, tons of adventure ideas and a whole lot of fun.

The Sovietski faces danger from the high-tech but savage and ruthless Warlords of Russia, the expanding Brodkil invasion sponsored by Mindwerks and the Angel of Death, Werewolves in the north, Gargoyles spilling in from the west, and the coming of the Minion War.

Rifts® Sovietski™ is a treasure trove of new ideas for cyborgs, player characters, D-Bees, and the fledgling, Sovietski nation. This book brings the Russian landscape to life and ready for adventure. See how the Sovietski came into being and where it is going, learn about its soldiers, army, people and their dreams, beliefs, and politics, plus Dead Zones, Spetsnaz Intelligence force, new cyborgs, bionics, and more. When combined with the Rifts® Mindwerks™ Sourcebook, Warlords of Russia™, Mystic Russia™ and the Triax™ books, you have a setting as large as North America.

Rifts® Game Master Guide™ – If you are looking for more weapons and gear, this sourcebook contains every Rifts® robot, power armor, vehicle, weapon, experience table, map, and more that appeared in World Books 1-23 and Sourcebooks 1-4, plus O.C.C. and R.C.C. index, rules clarifications, and more. 352 pages.

New! Rifts® Bestiary™: North America, Vol. One

A series of books that collects all the notable monsters, dinosaurs and creepy crawlers and creatures of Rifts® North America (US, Canada and Mexico) into two juicy volumes with a number of new creatures. Each volume includes maps and new creatures, large and small, to help or plague player characters. Between them, these two volumes compile all the beasts of Rifts North America (unintelligent monsters, predators, notable animals and intelligent beings that are monstrous or animal-like in appearance or behavior) from all current World Books and Sourcebooks. In addition, Kevin Siembieda, Chuck Walton and Greg Diaczyk are adding some new monsters to make life in the wilderness interesting. Presented in alphabetical order, with maps showing their range and location, in two big books.

Winter releases, both volumes are being worked on simultaneously, right now, so that Volume Two will quickly follow Volume One within 4-6 weeks. Other volumes, like a Bestiary of Spirits and the Supernatural, are likely to follow.

Future volumes will include spirits, ghosts and entities, another on dragons, other volumes on creatures in other parts of Rifts Earth, and so on.

Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks. Predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.

New! Rifts® Bestiary™: North America, Vol. Two

More monsters and exotic animals of Rifts® North America as part of an ongoing series of Rifts® Bestiary sourcebooks. The first two Rifts® Bestiaries are being created simultaneously. Between them, these two volumes compile all the beasts of Rifts North America (unintelligent monsters, predators, notable animals and intelligent beings that are monstrous or animal-like in appearance or behavior) from all current World Books and Sourcebooks, plus some new monsters by Siembieda and Walton. Presented in alphabetical order, with maps showing their range and location, in two big books.

Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks. Predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.

New! The Rifter® #79 – Available now

The Rifter® #79 is all about pushing the envelope, trying new things and alternative methods, rules and approaches to create epic adventure! Role-playing games are all about expressions of your imagination. Of making ideas, characters and stories come to life. RPGs are flexible. Malleable. Alive and changing. There is no one way to look at things because there are infinite possibilities. This issue of The Rifter® explores some of those new possibilities.

Rifter® #79 Highlights:

Gaming Through History – any game setting. Do not sell history short. There are epic events, battles and mysteries throughout history that would make amazing RPG campaigns. Create adventures that are, in effect, parts of our unknown history. Hendrik Härterich shows you how with a wonderful set of guidelines, rules and ideas for using characters from just about any modern RPG to create settings and adventures from Earth’s past. Suitable for use with any Palladium RPG.

Rifts® – The Kingdom of New Oslo™ by David Collins. Explore the European Northlands and face the would-be god of Hell Hounds and Fenry. A monster that calls itself Fenrik. Oslo overview, notable people and places, vehicles, gear, and adventure ideas.

UPDATE: Rifts® Living Nowhere™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook set in the Pecos Empire

This title presents four interrelated towns off the beaten path in the Pecos Empire. Each with its own unique character and problems. All fun locations to visit and find adventure and trouble. Something dark and deadly is brewing in the middle of Nowhere, where experimental Techno-Wizard devices and weapons offer prosperity, but could be the doom of everyone living there. Big ideas. Building upon material that appeared in The Rifter®, expanded.

COMING! In the Face of Death™ – A Dead Reign® Sourcebook

This sourcebook is all about inner-city survival. Survivor colonies finding a way to live and prosper in the big city. Conventional wisdom says that living in the big population centers is impossible. These survivors prove otherwise.

UPDATE: Convention Calendar

2018 Gen Con – August 2-5, 2018 – Indianapolis, Indiana

As noted earlier, we need Game Masters to submit their Palladium Gaming Event descriptions over the next few weeks. As with years past, please coordinate with NMI and the Megaversal Ambassadors to be part of the Palladium Books gaming block at Gen Con and to get listed in the onsite Gen Con Program Book (very important). Thank you.

The usual Palladium crew will be present at the Palladium booth to chat and sign books.